LTTE and 15 other LTTE fronts have been banned by the GOSL under UN Security Council Resolution 1373 w.e.f 1st April 2014. The order signed by External Affairs Minister Prof. GL Pieris based on recommendations by the Secretary Ministry of Defence and Urban Development as the Competent Authority will hereafter regard persons, groups and entities as committing, attempting to commit, facilitate or participate in the acts of terrorism. The order enables funds, assets, economic resources belonging to or owned by the designated persons and entities to remain frozen until the removal of their names from the designated list. These persons and entities are prohibited from moving, transferring or dealing with frozen assets without the permission of the Competent Authority. The seriousness of the Order needs to now be conveyed to nations where these foreign terrorist organizations and persons are now domiciled. It is now the turn for the diplomatic war to begin and Sri Lanka needs to appraise its envoys on how to take on the next battle.

The Foreign Terrorist Organizations with the gazette notification numbers are:

2009 – Sri Lanka 7 January 2009 (Note the ban placed in 1998 was removed by the Ranil Wickremasinghe Government on 4 January 2002 to facilitate the infamous Ceasefire Agreement)

With the banning of LTTE and associated LTTE fronts we can finally sigh a relief that the Government has done what should have been done immediately following the May 2009 victory.

The order now issued necessitates that Sri Lanka reviews the foreign bans in place by US, EU nations, UK and Canada for there are key provisions under their laws that can enable Sri Lanka to press these foreign governments to take action against the individuals and entities now declared banned.

For instance, the 2006 ban by Canada declares that it will not grant residency to LTTE members on the grounds that they have participated in crimes against humanity. This should immediately demand that Sri Lanka’s envoy takes out these declarations and pursue action against every member now officially banned. If these foreign Governments have banned LTTE they must be asked to follow through on what they have legally passed. Therefore, Sri Lanka’s envoys need to be immediately summoned to Colombo and given a brief on what they need to now do.

Since Australia remains the only country not to have banned LTTE, it is for Sri Lanka’s envoy to rigorously pursue Australia showcasing the activities of the LTTE and fronts in Australia as well as the fact that two of the organizations declared banned is the Tamil Youth Organization and the Australian Tamil Congress. These are all leverage areas that Sri Lanka’s envoys need to now tap.

It is in such times that we can but look at the performance of Pakistan’s Zamir Akram and the eloquent manner he delivered why the US Resolution against Sri Lanka is rejected. His speech was one par excellence and the points covered were relevant to all nations under imperial oppression today. Sri Lanka’s envoys must similarly deliver on the lines of how Zamir Akram spoke for not only did he make Pakistan proud, the entire population of Sri Lanka wished to congratulate him on how he defended Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka too needs more Zamir Akram’s to defend the nation now that the GOSL has taken a quintessential stand. We have had advisors and consultants who were eloquent but their heart is and never was in protecting the country rather than bloating their inflated egos trumpeting their own achievements only. The GOSL would need to seriously address how many amongst their fold are really interested to help protect the unitary, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the nation and the dangers of keeping such people based on the premise that keeping one’s enemy close and fulfilling their personal desires would keep them silent.

There is much that the diplomatic force needs to do and this calls for proactive and energetic lobbying among both Government and Opposition members in the country’s they represent. With these countries banning the LTTE they have in their own legally given provision for freeze on assets, prohibition of funds disbursement, travel bans etc and none of the present lot of LTTE fronts having complimentary passes to walk into the Parliaments of these nations without security clearance should be allowed to now enter. They must be promoted as terrorists and the Sri Lankan envoys now need to get their act together. There is no requirement to be hire fancy PR company’s or foreign agencies to handle communications, Sri Lanka’s diplomats have a very enthusiastic and energetic expat community who have over the years voluntarily stood for Sri Lanka while the diplomatic force had been lethargic in their approach. It is no better a time than now to also utilize them and generate the communication channels needed to ensure that the present lot of LTTE fronts and their leaders no longer enjoy VVIP status among foreign parliamentarians. Moreover, many of these leaders and members are probably holding foreign passports in which case the legal luminaries will need to also consider how best to push these foreign governments to pursue legal action against them for role in terrorism.

The task ahead for the Sri Lankan External Affairs Ministry and its officials is an important one and the approach cannot be defeatist, knee-jerk or defensive. We cannot pursue an ‘unwinnable’ mentality mode.

It is thus suggested that the envoys are appraised on the statements that need to be delivered, the manner that the envoy and officials need to pursue the officials of the nations they represent, what to say and what not to say, how to say and the most important aspect of conveying to these officials, the public in these countries that these entities besides being designated as terrorists have over decades being swindling them through various forms of international illegal activities – credit card scams, penetrating the social welfare systems, manipulating the refugee status, human smuggling, global prostitution etc are just a handful of activities that these organizations have been involved in. It is now time for Sri Lanka’s envoys to take these dossiers and produce them before the foreign parliamentarians and demand that they take action for afterall it is these nations that are insisting that rule of law, due process etc prevails so they must be asked to show by example.

Yes all Tamils are not LTTE. Every one knows that. Having said that, all Tamils have to say in one voice to entities who try to press resolution after resolution that they are all not LTTE and it was the LTTE terror which was defeated. Again,brother Silva, do organizations which were banned in Sri Lanka, helping Sri Lanka internationally?

It is time to do away with the a3th amendment as well. GOSL must now know that it’s do or die from now on. There is no point trying to please the so called international community because if you please them or not they have taken a decision long long time ago in 2009. Just follow the footsteps of Putin. There will be sanctions, but, as long as the GOSL do not bow down to pressure, people will be with the government. The moment GOSL decide to bow down, people will go against them. That’s why I said it’s do or die from now on. It’s that serious.

Retd Admiral Thishara Samarasighe, Ambassador to Australia has been pursuing this iniative with the Australian Government for quite some time.

The current Australian Government headed by PM Abbot and FM Bishop are sympathetic to the Sinhala Buddhists of Sri Lanka and will respond to this initiative.

Ambassador Nonis in the UK should insist on the Cameron Government compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 1373 which was proposed by the US.

Ambassador Wickremasooriya in the US will have no problems in achieving the ban in the US because the UN Security Council Resolution 1373 should be implemented in the country which proposed it in the first place.

Likewise, Canada and the EU should also implement the UN Security Council Resolution 1373 and support GOSL’s initiative.

I anticipate the ban in place worldwide before the end April 2014. This will effectively isolate M/s Navi Pillay who is working hard in putting together an international team for investigating SL.

Once the ban is in place, the Navi Pillay international enquiry will not be able to receive evidence from any of the banned organisations and its representatives.

GOSL should send its own plain-clothed agenets to the locations where the Pillay International Commission will be sitting and video capture all entry and exit points. This will help foreign governments to apprehend the culprits who participate in the Commission sittings.

I also suggest the EAM Supervisory MP, Hon Sajin Vass, be given an overseeing role in the implementation of this initiative.

GOSL must follow up this initiative with the Vatican and pursue the de-frocking of Fr Emmanuel of the GTF.

A leading catholic and Onlanka Blogger, Nick Dias, has already recommended to the Vatican, the de-frocking of the Jaffna and Mannar Bishops who openly supported the call for international investigations in the lead-up to the UNHRC vote. It appears the Vatican are yet to respond to this request.

This “Silva” sounds like a A-grade undercover Kotiya to me. As it is stated very rightly in this article, this is what GOSL should have done in May 2009! Anyone who thinks these organization are anything but THE LTTE, has to be just that.